


Infinite and Shadow making up? In MY AU? It's more likely than you think.

by Zonerz



Series: Infinite Post-Forces [2]
Category: Sonic the Hedgehog (Video Games), Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: Other, Post-Sonic Forces, Sonic Forces, yeet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-02
Updated: 2018-09-02
Packaged: 2019-07-06 01:21:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,606
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15875580
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zonerz/pseuds/Zonerz
Summary: I WAS VERY SALTY ABT INFINITE AND SHADOW NOT GETTING ANY TYPE OF CLOSURE AT ALL SO IM BACK AT IT AGAIN DOING WHAT SEGA WONT! THANKS FOR COMING TO MY TED TALK





	Infinite and Shadow making up? In MY AU? It's more likely than you think.

A thick fog settles over Park Avenue in the early morning. The mist irritates the forlorn jackal as he makes his way down the sidewalk. Times like this, early in the morning or in the dead of night, are the only times where he can walk in peace. While much of the destruction he brought with the war has finally been cleaned, the things he’s done and people he’s hurt haven’t disappeared so easily. He’s dealt with a bad reputation before, he’s by far no saint. But this time, he doesn’t have a team to help him through it. 

He blows into and rubs his gloved hands together before pulling his long black coat tighter around himself, the winter chill starting to set in. He scans his surroundings as a car appears, passes, then once again disappears into the thick fog. A few shopkeepers and construction workers move on the sidewalk opposite of him, prepping to open early. Some notice his gaze and briefly stop their task to glare back at him. Too afraid to attack yet open to shunning him in what ways they can. One yells a slew of profanities at him from across the road. Infinite or, well, Finn, as he wishes and hopes to be called, looks away and focuses once more on where he’s walking, albeit picking up his pace. He slips away in his thoughts as he mindlessly counts how many times he steps on the cracks between the cobblestones. Ten. Eleven. Twelve.

He takes a breath and looks ahead once more, looking in relief at his destination. He turns into the cemetery hastily, once inside, slowing with a brief glance behind him. With confirmation that he wasn’t followed, he relaxes. He doesn’t necessarily want to be here, but he’ll be damned if he doesn’t pay his respects. His team was all he had. He left them once, forgot them briefly, and look what happened. The rows of gravestones are haunting to him, newest ones especially. They easily vary from children to elders, all lost in the war. He feels sick before finally reaching the four he came for.

The Jackal squad was put in a few weeks before Eggman’s full on assault, or so he was told. He never knew the precise details of each one’s death, but he knew the apparent cause. Oh, did he _know_. The cursed black hedgehog, Shadow, the one who took everything from him then humiliated and beat him when he was down. He doesn’t even want to imagine what such a ruthless fighter did to his squad. Not that he would really be able to either, the Doctor never gave him the official details of his squads’ death or where they were even brought after the attack. He’d lay down a flower but he had no means of getting any that weren’t weeds off the side of the road, and they didn’t deserve that little.

His thoughts and grieving are interrupted by the hauntingly familiar sound of metal softly clinking with each step. Finn clenches his fists, ‘ _ Come to try to taunt and humiliate me again? Like hell!’  _ He thinks to himself before quickly turning and squaring up in the direction he hears the hedgehog walking, anticipation building for the moment the fog no longer obscures him. What will he come at him with today? A gun from his notoriously large collection? One of those supposed crackling yellow spears he summons? ‘ _ Or maybe he’ll drop the cowardice and fight me one on one. No tricks. He’ll finally get what he deserves.’ _

The steps grow closer and his hair stands on end, tension building with each drawn out second. Shadow finally steps into view and Finn opens his mouth, teeth bared and ready to call out the oh-so selfish and conceited hedgehog! But before he can utter a single word he hesitates and comes to a stop, eyes wide in complete surprise.

Shadow stepped out of the fog alright, but not at all in a way Finn had ever expected him. Shadow walks down the main path absentmindedly, his eyes clouded with thought. He stares and quietly adjusts, then readjusts the flowers among the bouquet he holds so tentatively. It’s a beautiful splash of color amongst the otherwise bleak and grey scenery and especially odd against the dark hedgehog. Yellow lilies, red carnations, and classic white daisies are a few that can be named. The hedgehog hasn’t even acknowledged Finn’s presence, hell, he may not even know he’s not alone this morning. Finn instinctively scans him for any kind of threat, but, surprisingly finds none. He looks back up at his face, desperately trying to read for any kind of ulterior motive. A side-glance before jumping or even teleporting behind him perhaps! ‘ _ But..’ _ No. There’s nothing. No matter how he looks at it, all he can see is someone else who’s almost just… Just  _ vulnerable. _

Finn shakes his head and scowls, his pain and anger billowing back up, ‘ _ No. It’s a trick. He’s a cunning killer and agent for chaos’ sake! Don’t you dare let him fool you for a second!’  _ He bares his teeth, takes a step toward Shadow and barks, “ _ Hey!” _

The hedgehog stops.

Finn continues, “What the hell do you think you’re doing here you  _ killer! _ You follow me here then try to play it all innocent with the ridiculous flowers?  _ Just to get the jump on me?” _ He hisses, his words like venom. There’s a pause. Ten seconds pass, then thirty. Finn growls at the lack of response, “ _ You even listening?” _ There’s a brief silence again before the hedgehog finally shifts and seemingly sighs before he slowly turns around. Dangerous crimson eyes meet the scarred blue and orange of the jackal. The new tension in the air feels thicker than the fog that surrounds them. Finn swears it’ll suffocate him. Shadow breaks the silence.

“ _ All  _ about yourself,  _ isn’t it?”  _

Finn opens his mouth to argue, but Shadow starts walking towards him, the threatening and confident stride Finn’s familiar with returning as he’s cut off. 

“My entire existence just  _ has  _ to revolve around chasing and targeting  _ you _ . No other reason for me to exist according to your logic.”

“You’ve attacked me every time we’ve run into each other!  _ Why should I assume this time is different? _ YOU’RE the reason I have to come to this horrible place in the  _ first place!”  _ He huffs and points at him, “ _ The perfect place to assert yourself while also striking me down alongside the very people  _ **_I_ ** _ failed to protect, and  _ **_YOU_ ** _ killed!”  _ He spits, “ _ Might as well finish the job in a place that’s convenient to you, right Shadow? _ Save the trouble of having to drag my corpse here for a burial!”

Shadow stares at him, anger lacing his eyes. What a way to start an already horrible day. Some punk accusing him of murder again and trying to pick a fight. ‘ _ Who knows, if this idiot jackal keeps pushing his luck, those murderous accusations might just have to come true.’ _ Shadow starts to clench his fists, only for his eyes to quickly widen as he hears the flower stems begin to be crushed.

Finn watches, bewildered as the hedgehog who was just seconds ago staring at him with a bloodlust now carefully reorganizes and checks over the bouquet. He watches Shadow sigh and give him a long look before turning and continuing down the path.

“ _ Wuh..?”  _ The jackal is dumbfounded, finding his words getting caught in his throat as this temperamental hedgehog just  _ ignored  _ him for some  _ flowers.  _ He growls and starts chasing after him, “ _ h-HEY!”  _ He catches up easily, as the hedgehog made no attempt to run, and grabs him by the shoulder, yanking him around to face him. “ _ Where the hell do you think you’re going?” _

Shadow shrugs him off harshly, “ _ Piss off. _ I came here for a reason, and it certainly isn’t to fight with  _ you.” _

_ “Bullshit!”  _ Finn spits as he continues trailing him. Shadow rolls his eyes to heaven and once again continues walking.

“ _ Look.  _ I’m having a bad day, jackal. Don’t push your luck with me and _ leave me be.  _ I won’t bug you, so  _ you _ shouldn’t bug  _ me. _ ”

“Like I’m going to show you any _courtesy!”_ He shoves the hedgehog who in turn stumbles forward a bit before shooting him another glare. Finn clenches his fists and stands his ground. “ _Give me a proper fight_. Just you and I. No tricks. One on one. You fought my squad-- no, _killed them!_ Then _ran away_ like a spineless _coward_ _with his tail between his legs_.” He hisses, rage ablaze in eyes. “I can’t let you get away with that. No, we’re settling this _now!”_ He lunges at Shadow who slips aside with practiced ease. Finn growls and goes for a harsh punch. Shadow sighs and catches his fist mid-punch and tightens his grip, not intending to let go as he stares at him. Finn narrows his eyes and attempts pushing his fist further, closer to Shadow’s face, closer to his mark. It hardly budges, but he keeps trying.

“ _ Finn.  _ If I may call you that--”

“ _ Rot in hell!” _

Shadow continues, “If you’re  _ so  _ determined to fight me, then  _ fine. _ I’ll fight you. But not in this cemetery. You came to pay your respects, correct? Well, I’m sure the fallen would certainly hate for their graves to be  _ desecrated  _ because  _ you _ couldn’t control your  _ temper.” _ He shoves him back, releasing his fist. “Deal?”

Finn rubs his hand, eyeing the black hedgehog suspiciously, huffing before he mulls over the offer in his mind. He despises the hedgehog before him, and his temperamental side just wants to strangle him, humiliate him, and make him suffer. Yet, he has a point about the graveyard, as much as he hates it. Finn has already caused enough destruction, hell, most of the newcomers to the graveyard are because of him. Why torture their souls even further?

He drops his arms to his sides, fists clenched as he glares at the hedgehog, upset about this ridiculous delay, “ _ Fine. Deal.  _ Let’s leave so I can get to beating you to a bloody  _ pulp.” _

“In a minute.” Shadow replies casually.

“ _ You just said--!” _

“I said I would fight you outside this cemetery, I never said  _ when _ that’d be. I will fight you in a minute. Feel free to count if it makes you feel better.” With that he waves him off and turns away once more. Finn takes a deep breath and groans in frustration before he finds himself  trailing Shadow silently, death in his eyes. 

They end up walking further into the cemetery. Finn notes some of the names on the graves as he counts in his head, at a loss for what else he should really do in a minute. He’s lost some of his initial fury as he looks among the dreary graves. Many have flowers, some fresh, others so wilted they’re starting to crumble to dust. He admires the groups of families, some small, others taking up almost an entire section. This makes him glance back up at the ebony hedgehog ahead of him. He really  _ was  _ persistent about being here, it’s obviously something important to him. But he’s never seen him with any sort of relatives in their various encounters, just Sonic’s annoying bunch, and none of them ever died. ‘ _ Perhaps someone from years ago?’  _ But the hedgehog wasn’t that old, maybe 16 by the look of him. Then again, he didn’t know much about Shadow outside of their various encounters and scuffles, so how could he guess. 

Shadow glances back at him once or twice. Firstly surprised to see him, then just seemingly checking up on him. By this point, Finn’s thoughts have drowned out however far he had counted, his curiosity is currently a bit stronger than his previous fit of anger. Though Shadow’s occasional gaze still makes him feel uneasy. ‘ _ I shouldn’t let my guard down.’ _ Before his nerves have a chance to act up, Shadow sighs and breaks the silence.

“I know what it’s like..” His voice is soft as crouches down and gently places the colorful bouquet below a rather simple grave, “To lose everyone you held dear..” He fiddles with one of the roses, “What it’s like to be alienated.. And alone..” He looks back at Finn a serious yet sincere look on his face. Finn stares back at him, his mind going in circles. How is he supposed to respond to this? Where is this going?

Shadow notes his lost expression and lets out a somewhat frustrated sigh, this isn’t easy for him to do. He breaks his gaze as he speaks once more, “You’re not the only one who has suffered Finn. Nor are you the only one who acted upon the anger that such a loss brought.” He lets out a curt laugh, “Hell, you also tried crashing something from space into the Earth. And.. It’s ironic.. That the most horrific thing I went through, and the thing I’ve regretted everyday since, I inadvertently caused for someone else..” He trails off as he meets Finn’s gaze, regret filling red eyes and pain just barely shining through orange and blue. “With all honesty, whether you want to believe me or not, I  _ never _ had the intent to kill your squad--”

“But you  _ did.” _

Shadow takes a breath and nods slowly, “It’s possible that their wounds could’ve ended up killing them..” Finn shuts his eyes and crosses his arms tightly as he speaks. “ _ But..” _

“Don’t try to make  _ excuses.” _

“I won’t, but I think you should know that they may not really be  _ dead..” _

Finn’s eyes shoot open at this,  _ “What?  _ What’re you on about? I saw their  _ graves _ back near the entrance!” He points back towards them for emphasis. Shadow stands and looks at him calmly.

“But did you watch them lower their caskets into the ground?”

Finn visibly hesitates before scowling. Shadow once again cuts him off.

“No? Good. Because there weren't any caskets to lower.” He looks at Finn seriously, “I.. I was here when they added the gravestones. Never actually dug up anything or placed in any kind of urns. Just the stones. I was curious and looked into the medical records of the area, never found any deaths, so it’s suspicious to have stones with their names, is it not?”

“What are you saying…”

Shadow begins to pace a bit as he speaks, “I’m saying that you might have been set up to convince you to accept the Phantom Ruby, and help carry out the Doctor’s plan with the sun. Of course he wouldn’t try experimenting with the Ruby on himself, so why not push the already emotionally vulnerable jackal to do it?” He stops to look at him, “ _ Think _ , Finn. What did he  _ really  _ tell you about their supposed deaths? Look. Rule number 1: Don’t trust a word the Doctor says. Rule number 2: Look into things before coming to your own conclusions. There’s always three sides to a story; your side, their side and the truth.”

Finn furrows his brows, not necessarily complying, “ _ Why are you telling me this? What could you gain from this?” _

He snaps back, “ _ Why should I lie?”  _ He sighs and ends up giving a half-hearted shrug, losing steam and shaking his head, “Look.. I dunno.. Maybe it’s just..” He looks back at the grave before them, “Perhaps you remind me a little too much of myself.. You’re in pain, and you’re lost because of it. You’ve made mistakes, big ones. Ones that weigh down on you so much you have no idea how you’re going to work past them or, hell, even begin on correcting them.. I  _ know, _ Finn..” He rubs his neck then turns around to face him once again, “But, that can’t be done without closure.”

Finn stares at him, this entire experience feeling completely surreal. He came out here today to mourn a bit, then that changed to fighting his enemy. But, now, here he is, getting terrifyingly solid life advice from that same foe? He ponders if anything had been slipped into his breakfast this morning..

Shadow breaks the momentary silence after getting no response. “You don’t have to listen to me, I’m sure I sound ridiculous. Though, if I have you as a captive audience I might as well speak my mind..” He looks at the ground and shrugs, a faraway look in his eyes, “And maybe… Maybe I can at least push you in the right direction. So you don’t have to end up like I have..” Shadow’s eyes are dragged back up to the gravestone. He and Finn stay where they are for a good while, a somewhat comfortable silence settling. Finn mulls over all of the new thoughts and questions he has. For the first time in months, he has a sense of clarity. He straightens his posture, ready to leave before hesitating and slowly walking over and standing by Shadow, reading the grave so important to the hedgehog..

“How old was she..”

“She had just turned 12. I watched as she died from a gunshot wound. We were separated by mere inches of glass..” Shadow closes his eyes, furrowing his brows at the memories. Finn nods slowly, before stepping back once more, giving the hedgehog space. He looks back towards the four graves of his squad members somberly. The pain is still there. Even if they aren’t really dead, he doesn’t know that for certain. ‘ _ Expect the worst. Hope for the best, I suppose..’ _

Shadow notices his gaze, “Did you bring them flowers..?”

“No.. It’s not like I could just waltz into some flower shop and get any. People still fear me, they’d scream and try to attack me before I could even get a foot in the door.”

“Hm..” Shadow nods in understanding. They’re silent once more before Shadow crouches down by the bouquet again. Carefully, he plucks out 4 flowers--one of each variety--and studies each intently before he turns and offers then up to Finn. 

 

“Here. Honor them.”

 

Finn looks down at him, eyes wide in surprise at this sudden act of kindness, especially after the hedgehog spent so much effort on making sure they were all perfectly intact and organized.

“Don’t look at me like that and take them. It’s alright. If she had been here, she would’ve done this herself.. Take this as my way to honor how kind she was..”

Finn grasps them carefully. He absentmindedly runs his fingers over a few of the petals before looking back at Shadow, an ounce of respect appearing in his eyes as he nods at him. The closest thing to a ‘thank you’ Shadow’s going to get. They part ways as Finn walks off towards his squad’s graves, leaving Shadow to himself.

Finn approaches the graves once more, looking each over more tentatively than he had before. The hedgehog had a point, the ground around them seemed rather undisturbed if they  _ had _ been buried here.. But, brushing that aside for now, he heaves a sigh and starts to lay down the flowers. After, he takes a good step back and looks them all over. ‘ _ It’s.. It’s  _ **_something_ ** _ to say the least..’  _  He closes his eyes and lets himself think and mourn in peace as he had originally planned. 

The air is still heavy around him, but he at least might know where to go next. Even if their fates ended up the same as what he came in expecting, he might at least be able to know the whole story. _‘I’ll need assistance getting his hands on any information though.._ _Perhaps Gadget might be able to help.. I’ll have to ask him later..’_ He clenches his fists once more, but in a newfound determination as he nods at the graves a silent promise.

‘ _ I’ll figure this out. I won’t let your stories go unfinished.’ _

He turns and makes his way back onto the main path out of the cemetery, his stride confident. His thoughts swirl as he begins thinking on where he should start. Re-checking the local hospitals seems like a decent enough start. Or furthermore getting his hands on security footage from Eggman’s base. His footsteps click loudly against the cobble. ‘ _ Or, even better, getting my hands on Eggman. He certainly will know something. If not about my team, then about Shadow and his abilities!’ _

The Jackal, so consumed in his own mind that he ran straight into the hedgehog in question once more right outside the cemetery, causing both to stumble forward. Shadow shoots another icy glare at him out of habit, then just turns to a mildly annoyed one as he steps aside and crosses his arms. Finn brushes himself off and straightens his coat before looking at Shadow. He shrugs an apology. Shadow huffs, and shakes his head. There’s another bout of silence between them before Shadow turns to him.

“So. Are you still adamant about getting crushed in a fight?”

Finn narrows his eyes briefly at the insult than snorts and waves him off. “I have more important things to be looking into now, I don’t need you wasting anymore of my  _ time _ .” He smirks as he walks off, leaving Shadow behind and disappearing into the fog.

Shadow watches him leave then takes a breath. He smirks to himself. One more weight  _ hopefully _ off of his shoulders. He takes a deep breath of the morning air, before his watch beeps with a reminder of the long days still ahead. With that, he turns and skates off, leaving the quiet cemetery in his wake once more.


End file.
